JUST SAY YES ALREADY

SUTTON

I’d actually gotten home before Kayla, and I was grateful for the reprieve. It gave me a little time to sit down and think about any questions I might have about this insane arrangement offer. I’d been contemplating everything that we’d talked about from the night before. At least, what I could remember of it. I’d spent most of the day trying to talk my way out of helping her boss for no reason other than just to be difficult ... and the fact that I hated him.

But she’d mentioned money. Again, not that I needed it, but it would be nice to get out of debt twenty years earlier than I’d originally planned. If I said no, it would only be to prove a point. But I wasn’t sure exactly what point I was trying to make or who exactly I was trying to make it to. I was being stubborn just for the sake of being stubborn, and I knew it. I could be that way sometimes.

When Kayla eventually sauntered through our front door, I watched as a grin spread across her face when she noticed the pictures of Joseph still plastered all over.

No, I haven’t taken them down yet.

And, no, I’m not reading into why.

“He is nice to look at, right?” she said with a grin, and I gave a nonchalant shrug.

“I guess,” I answered before adding, “I have some questions.”

I decided to jump right in and get this over with. There was no use in delaying the inevitable. If I knew my best friend at all, an additional conversation about the topic was only moments away. And more than likely, Kayla had come home prepared, ready for battle.

Before I knew what hit me, Kayla was sitting down at our two-person kitchen table, insisting I did the same as she pulled out a file folder and opened it.

“I’m ready for your questions,” she said as she rested her hands in front of her and leveled me with an innocent look.

“What would be required of me exactly?”

“He needs a date.” She paused before adding more details, “The same date, to the events he attends during Social Month.”

“And these events are all formal, yes?” I asked, knowing damn well that they were.

She nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Like fancy dresses and stuff, right?”

“Uh-huh. But Joseph has accounts all over the city, and you can buy whatever you want and put it on his charge card,” she said before tapping a finger against her lips. “That’s actually good. People will believe that you’re really dating if he’s buying you clothes.”

“I have my own dresses.”

“I know. And some of those might totally work. But there’s no harm in getting a few new pieces, right?”

“I guess not,” I agreed. “But I can’t go to wherever he needs me to for thirty whole days. You know I’m busy.” I sounded defensive, but my work was important, too, and I wasn’t going to pretend like it wasn’t.